India
Effective August 1, 2015, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) implemented updated guidelines. The current guidelines (September 23, 2022) allow for married and single applicants as follows:
| Age of Child | Maximum Composite age of prospective adoptive parents at time of registration with CARA | Maximum age of single prospective adoptive applicant at time of registration with CARA |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | under 85 years | under 40 years |
| Above 2 and up to 4 years | under 90 years | under 45 years |
| Above 4 up to 8 years | under 100 years | under 50 years |
| Above 8 and up to 18 | under 110 years | under 55 years |
Cornerstone will consider relative adoptions on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances of the child.
CARA has renewed Cornerstone Adoption Agency’s Authorization to facilitate adoptions from India effective April 8, 2021 for a five year period.
Sri Lanka
The Department of Probation and Child Care Services are accepting applications for foreign adoptions. However, wait times to receive a child proposal are very lengthy. Sri Lanka only accepts married applicants.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
St. Vincent accepts both married and single applicants. Wait times to receive a child proposal can be lengthy.
Cornerstone will consider relative adoptions on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances of the child.
Philippines
The Inter-Country Adoption Board of the Philippines (ICAB) has renewed Cornerstone’s Certificate of Authorisation to facilitate international adoptions effective May 2021 for a further three years.
Who May Adopt:
The Philippines accepts both married and single applicants, however, single applicants only qualify for a child/children 9+ years of age.
Applicants must be at least twenty-seven (27) years of age and is at least sixteen (16) years older than the child to be adopted at the time of the filing of the application. A maximum of forty-five (45) years age gap between the adoptive parents and the adoptive child should be maintained except in cases where the circumstances will be favorable for the child.
ICAB is currently matching adoption applications that were submitted in late 2016 and early 2017.
Cornerstone will consider relative adoptions on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances of the child.
Jamaica
Cornerstone facilitates both relative and non-relative adoptions from Jamaica. Non-relative adoptions tend to be older (4+) children, and the timelines for matching are unpredictable and lengthy. Both married and single applicants are accepted.
Cornerstone will consider relative adoptions on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances of the child.
Guyana
At the present time, Cornerstone is not accepting new applications for this program as Guyana is implementing the Hague Convention. Cornerstone is awaiting confirmation of implementation and any changes to the adoption process.